Proposed cuts to Medicaid could leave some elderly homeless

Vergia Strange, the executive director of Cleveland House Assisted Living in Shelby, pushes Ann Sexton, a resident of Cleveland House, around in her wheelchair. Both were upset about the prospect of Medicaid being cut for those who are elderly and living in assisted living centers. Strange said several residents would be forced out onto the street as they have nowhere to go. Sexton is one of those who would be affected.

Ben Earp/Halifax Media Services

By Molly Phipps/Halifax Media Services

Published: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 at 11:37 PM.

When asked what she did before she came to Cleveland House Assisted Living in Shelby, Ann Sexton leans back in her wheelchair slightly and smiles.
“My main love was textiles.”
Sexton was an employee of Doran Mill in Shelby, a 1920s-era mill that closed for good in 2001.
“I was a cloth inspector and I loved it,” she said. “I had my first stroke there, that retired me.”
The last thing she remembers after going to see the mill secretary is being wheeled out in the secretary’s chair. She was 59.
When she woke up, she couldn’t move, talk or eat.
“The only thing I could do was move my eyes,” she said. “Thank God for that.”
Sexton, who turned 80 on May 5, said her life is a daily battle. She takes four liters of oxygen each day and cannot walk, eat, bathe or dress on her own. Her speech, after her stroke, is affected by her emotions.
When she gets upset, she stutters.
Sexton apologizes. She says she’s just worried that after a life of hard work, she would have no place to live out the rest of her years.
“I have this fear of being completely out on the street because of funds being taken from us,” she said. “And it’s not a good feeling. It’s not a good feeling at all.”
‘They don’t care
about us anymore’
The North Carolina legislature is still in the early process of making budget adjustments. So far, the budget talks have been praised — and criticized — for their focus on teacher raises. But they have proposed cuts to the state’s Medicaid system, too.
One of those proposals includes changing the income rate for people who live in assisted living, said Vergia Strange, executive director of Cleveland House.
The rate is currently $1,182. If a person brings in more money than that per month — whether through Social Security, pensions or other income — he or she cannot live in an assisted living facility, Strange said. The proposed change would move that rate down to about $900 per month.
Strange said the budget adjustments, if passed, could affect nearly 20 people at the assisted living facility, which is located off Wyke Road on Hardin Drive.
She said many of those people don’t have family who could take them in.
“The sad part is, I’ve got a lot of people that don’t have family at all. If it’s not me speaking out for them, they don’t have nobody,” she said.
One lady, now in her 90s, was abused by a caregiver in her home before coming to Cleveland House. If she can’t stay there, Strange said, “What would she do? Where would she go?”
“What it’s trying to do is put people out on the streets,” Strange said. “The system’s backward. There’s young people out there who can afford to work. These elderly people can’t.”
Last Thanksgiving, Sexton fell and hit the back of her head. She went for an eye exam and found she had cataracts.
“Medicaid used to pay for our glasses,” Sexton said. “My family can’t afford to pay for them, and I need the glasses bad, to read with.”
She said many people in Cleveland House depend on Medicaid but that she feels “they don’t care about us anymore.”
House budget
expected this week
So far, no changes to the budget have been passed.
Kelly Hastings, representative for Cleveland and Gaston counties, said it is very early in the process and the House is still in talks about budget adjustments.
He said the state’s budget is biennial and has been in place since 2013, but the legislature is doing budget adjustments during the short session.
As far as Medicaid goes, Hastings said many times, the state’s hands are tied because Medicaid is a joint state-federal partnership.
“We can really only do what we’re allowed to do by the federal government. We can’t do less than what they approve. But in the past, the general assembly in North Carolina and the governor have done more and provided more Medicaid services than the federal government mandates,” he said.
Hastings said that’s why North Carolina has huge Medicaid cost overruns: The state provides benefits over and above what the federal government requires.
The House budget will be rolled out this week, Hastings said, and then it will go back to the Senate. After that, the Senate and House will hold a conference to come to an agreement on the budget adjustments. Then, it will move to the governor.
Which adjustments will be passed is unknown at this point; Hastings said the state will have to wait and see what becomes part of the budget.
“At this point, I have no earthly idea what the legislative and executive branches will agree on in this legislative and adjustment period,” he said.
Ultimately, the governor will either sign the adjustments into law or veto them.
For the 20 people in Cleveland House, including Ann Sexton, losing some of their Medicaid benefits could leave them without a home.
“That’s denying the people that truly need it and have worked hard all their lives for it,” Sexton said.
Wiping away tears, she said, “ We need it. It hurts.”

What’s the process?
The House of Representatives is working through budget adjustments this week.
Those have included proposals of cuts to Medicaid, including a change on the income rate for people to be able to live in an assisted living facility.
The rate is $1,182 now, which means that if a person makes more income than that per month, they do not qualify for assisted living, said Vergia Strange, executive director of Cleveland House Assisted Living. The rate has been proposed to be lowered to about $900, which could affect as many as 20 residents of Cleveland House, Strange said.
According to a report from the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult services, 5,220 people in the state would lose their Medicaid coverage if the proposed plan goes into effect.

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When asked what she did before she came to Cleveland House Assisted Living in Shelby, Ann Sexton leans back in her wheelchair slightly and smiles.
“My main love was textiles.”
Sexton was an employee of Doran Mill in Shelby, a 1920s-era mill that closed for good in 2001.
“I was a cloth inspector and I loved it,” she said. “I had my first stroke there, that retired me.”
The last thing she remembers after going to see the mill secretary is being wheeled out in the secretary’s chair. She was 59.
When she woke up, she couldn’t move, talk or eat.
“The only thing I could do was move my eyes,” she said. “Thank God for that.”
Sexton, who turned 80 on May 5, said her life is a daily battle. She takes four liters of oxygen each day and cannot walk, eat, bathe or dress on her own. Her speech, after her stroke, is affected by her emotions.
When she gets upset, she stutters.
Sexton apologizes. She says she’s just worried that after a life of hard work, she would have no place to live out the rest of her years.
“I have this fear of being completely out on the street because of funds being taken from us,” she said. “And it’s not a good feeling. It’s not a good feeling at all.”
‘They don’t care
about us anymore’
The North Carolina legislature is still in the early process of making budget adjustments. So far, the budget talks have been praised — and criticized — for their focus on teacher raises. But they have proposed cuts to the state’s Medicaid system, too.
One of those proposals includes changing the income rate for people who live in assisted living, said Vergia Strange, executive director of Cleveland House.
The rate is currently $1,182. If a person brings in more money than that per month — whether through Social Security, pensions or other income — he or she cannot live in an assisted living facility, Strange said. The proposed change would move that rate down to about $900 per month.
Strange said the budget adjustments, if passed, could affect nearly 20 people at the assisted living facility, which is located off Wyke Road on Hardin Drive.
She said many of those people don’t have family who could take them in.
“The sad part is, I’ve got a lot of people that don’t have family at all. If it’s not me speaking out for them, they don’t have nobody,” she said.
One lady, now in her 90s, was abused by a caregiver in her home before coming to Cleveland House. If she can’t stay there, Strange said, “What would she do? Where would she go?”
“What it’s trying to do is put people out on the streets,” Strange said. “The system’s backward. There’s young people out there who can afford to work. These elderly people can’t.”
Last Thanksgiving, Sexton fell and hit the back of her head. She went for an eye exam and found she had cataracts.
“Medicaid used to pay for our glasses,” Sexton said. “My family can’t afford to pay for them, and I need the glasses bad, to read with.”
She said many people in Cleveland House depend on Medicaid but that she feels “they don’t care about us anymore.”
House budget
expected this week
So far, no changes to the budget have been passed.
Kelly Hastings, representative for Cleveland and Gaston counties, said it is very early in the process and the House is still in talks about budget adjustments.
He said the state’s budget is biennial and has been in place since 2013, but the legislature is doing budget adjustments during the short session.
As far as Medicaid goes, Hastings said many times, the state’s hands are tied because Medicaid is a joint state-federal partnership.
“We can really only do what we’re allowed to do by the federal government. We can’t do less than what they approve. But in the past, the general assembly in North Carolina and the governor have done more and provided more Medicaid services than the federal government mandates,” he said.
Hastings said that’s why North Carolina has huge Medicaid cost overruns: The state provides benefits over and above what the federal government requires.
The House budget will be rolled out this week, Hastings said, and then it will go back to the Senate. After that, the Senate and House will hold a conference to come to an agreement on the budget adjustments. Then, it will move to the governor.
Which adjustments will be passed is unknown at this point; Hastings said the state will have to wait and see what becomes part of the budget.
“At this point, I have no earthly idea what the legislative and executive branches will agree on in this legislative and adjustment period,” he said.
Ultimately, the governor will either sign the adjustments into law or veto them.
For the 20 people in Cleveland House, including Ann Sexton, losing some of their Medicaid benefits could leave them without a home.
“That’s denying the people that truly need it and have worked hard all their lives for it,” Sexton said.
Wiping away tears, she said, “ We need it. It hurts.”

What’s the process?
The House of Representatives is working through budget adjustments this week.
Those have included proposals of cuts to Medicaid, including a change on the income rate for people to be able to live in an assisted living facility.
The rate is $1,182 now, which means that if a person makes more income than that per month, they do not qualify for assisted living, said Vergia Strange, executive director of Cleveland House Assisted Living. The rate has been proposed to be lowered to about $900, which could affect as many as 20 residents of Cleveland House, Strange said.
According to a report from the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult services, 5,220 people in the state would lose their Medicaid coverage if the proposed plan goes into effect.